Ex-Westlake baseball player Casey Ryan signs with Chicago Cubs

Former Westlake High player Casey Ryan was one of the top relief pitchers for the University of Hawaii this past season. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 2017 MLB First Year Player Draft.(Photo: University of Hawaii)

Perseverance is perhaps the best word to describe Casey Ryan’s somewhat bumpy road to professional baseball.

Last week the Chicago Cubs signed the former Westlake High baseball player after selecting him in the 18th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft.

“It’s a dream come true,” Ryan said via phone from Arizona where he is preparing to play rookie ball. “You play all those years from Little League on hoping to get this chance. I am super excited and can’t wait to get started.”

This past season at the University of Hawaii, Ryan was one of the Rainbow Warriors top relief pitchers, posting a 3-0 record with two saves and a team best 1.52 earned run average. Ryan limited opponents to a team-low .188 average in 23.2 innings.

But when the season began, no one, including Ryan would have ever imagined that he would be the first University of Hawaii player drafted since 2015.

The year before, Ryan made the team as a walk-on, but only appeared in nine games, primarily as a pitcher, throwing 7.1 innings with a record of 0-1 and an ERA of 4.91. He also started one game at DH and was 2-for-5 at the plate with one RBI.

After being at Pierce Community College the previous two years and playing in front of very few fans, Ryan said he experienced a good amount of culture shock playing in front of as many as 6,000 fans at Hawaii.

“I didn’t deal with it very well at all and was really nervous when I was out there,” Ryan said. “I didn’t play very well.

“Because of that, I was thinking this season would probably be my final year of playing so I decided I needed to embrace the experience, not worry about things and just work hard and have fun.”

The newfound outlook, along with the continued support and belief he received from his teammates and coaches, allowed Ryan to blossom in his new role as the team’s main setup man to closer Dylan Thomas.

This was the first time in his baseball career that Ryan focused solely on pitching. Being able to hone his pitching skills allowed Ryan to evolve from a thrower to a pitcher.
“As the year went along I felt more and more comfortable and was able to develop much more of a mound presence,” Casey said. “I learned how to show virtually no bad emotion out on the mound.

“The game slowed down and as I had success I gained more and more confidence. I had always wanted to be a starter, but this year I fell in love with coming out of the bullpen. Being able to pitch back to back days and contribute a lot is something I really love doing.”

Hawaii head coach Mike Trapasso calls Ryan a special person, one who impacted the program on and off the field.

“He came into our program two years ago fairly inexperienced as a pitcher and his talent and work ethic allowed him to become a prospect,” Trapasso said. “Yet the truth is that's just the tip of the iceberg.

“In both his years at the University of Hawaii, he became the leader of our pitching staff. Holding players accountable and leading by example on a daily basis. He is a special person.”

Ryan considers himself a late bloomer, one who has had to work hard at each level he’s played at to become a contributor.

At Westlake High School he only had 12 at-bats his junior season but worked hard to become a starter his senior year, batting .295.

With no Division 1 schools interested, Ryan decided to enroll in a Division 2 school, but coaches there told him not to bother trying out for the team because he had little chance of making it.

So he left the school and enrolled at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, where he played two seasons as an outfielder and a first baseman.

As a freshman, he batted .303 with 10 RBIs and scored 13 runs. He also started to get a little more involved in pitching, tossing 10.2 innings in four relief appearances. He posted a 5.06 ERA and had no decisions.

As a sophomore, he batted .303, leading the team with nine doubles, and also had 18 RBIs and scored 20 runs. Playing more in the field, he only pitched 2.1 innings but did get his first collegiate win.

As a freshman, he played with Alex Sawelson who ended up at the University of Hawaii. It was Sawelson who told the Hawaii coaches about Ryan, so they scouted him a bit and invited him to walk-on at the school.

“I always loved hitting so I didn’t think much about pitching,” Ryan said. “I always had a strong arm, so when I wasn’t getting much playing time my junior year the coaches suggested I try pitching. I wasn’t sure about it, but it changed my life.”

Ryan wasn’t too focused on the first two days of the MLB draft, knowing if he had any shot at being picked, it would come on the third day. Sure enough, early that day the Cubs called and said they were hoping to get him if he was around in the middle of the draft.

He admits he was a bit anxious until finally hearing his name called.

“It was an indescribable feeling,” Ryan said. “Getting drafted by a team like the Cubs, who just won the World Series, is more than I could hope for. I can’t wait to get to work.”